Coral reefs in Kimbe Bay are as striking as they are fortunate. Its reefs have been assessed as high diversity and high coral cover sites – amazingly with relatively low human impact. Of the 173 IUCN Redlist vulnerable species, 159 of these are scleractinian corals. The endangered coral Cantharellus noumeae is also found in the Bay. In 2018, researchers from James Cook University undertook upper mesophotic surveys in Kimbe Bay, which resulted in reporting a species of Black Coral (Antipatharia) that had not been previously described to science, let alone the Bay itself.
Kimbe Bay is fortunate to have an entire community so dedicated to its well-being. The Bay battles the negative effects of local human population growth, the expansion of offshore fishing efforts, seabed mining, pollution and warming water temperatures. Hope Spot Champions Cecilie Benjamin and Gemma Galbraith and the students of Marine Environment Education Program (MEEP) are leading the cause to improve enforcement of the area’s LMMAs (Locally Managed Marine Areas) and MPAs and to expand their program to continue educating Kimbe Bay’s youth about reef conservation. In order to scale, they need donations and volunteers.